Nutrition and diets 

I have a cold chest and breastfeed. Mastitis in non-nursing women: symptoms, causes, treatment. Causes of inflammation of the breast

Due to its ability to produce breast milk, the mammary gland is a unique organ that needs careful and attentive care. The period of lactation makes the mammary glands very vulnerable to various environmental factors.

Very often, nulliparous women face the problem of breast hypothermia during lactation. A similar situation can arise when wearing clothes that do not correspond to the temperature of the environment, when swimming in cold waters or staying in a draft for a long time.

Hypothermia is one of the factors in the development of inflammation of the breast tissue (mastitis). The approach to this problem should be attentive and professional, since untimely diagnosis and treatment can lead to the development of serious complications.

Signs and symptoms

Cold spasm of the breast ducts leads to a violation of the discharge of milk and lactostasis. In severe situations, lactostasis can develop into mastitis with the addition of a bacterial infection and the development of an infectious-inflammatory focus.

To understand that the mammary glands have undergone hypothermia, a nursing woman can have a number of such symptoms:

  • Pain in the area of ​​​​the mammary gland of a pressing or pulsating nature. In addition to pain, a burning or tingling sensation may be disturbing.
  • An increase in body temperature to 37.5-38 degrees.
  • When feeling the chest, local compaction may be observed.
  • Breast milk changes color and may become yellowish or green.

If hypothermia is unilateral, then the color of breast milk from a diseased breast will differ from the color of milk from a healthy breast. In order to detect this in a timely manner, it is necessary to take 2 cotton swabs, on one of which gently express a few drops of breast milk from a painful gland, and on the second, express a few drops of milk from a healthy breast.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of this condition is carried out by a gynecologist or mammologist. Every woman faced with a similar situation should undergo a face-to-face consultation with medical specialists.

With hypothermia of the mammary glands and signs of stagnation of breast milk, an ultrasound examination of the mammary glands, as well as a general blood test, which reveals signs of inflammation, is indicated. In addition, when changing the color of milk, it is necessary to carry out its bacteriological examination, aimed at identifying pathogens of infectious diseases. Further treatment tactics will be based on the results of laboratory and ultrasound examinations.

The primary task for breast hypothermia is to visit a gynecologist or mammologist who can assess the severity of the disease and exclude more severe pathologies of the mammary glands.

  • For feeding, it is necessary to apply the child to the painful mammary gland, as this will stimulate the discharge of breast milk, eliminating its stagnation. For feeding the baby, it is better to choose a position when the mother hangs over the child.
  • It is recommended to limit pumping at the time of treatment, since the passion for this procedure can additionally injure the mammary glands.
  • In between feedings, it is recommended to make compresses on the chest from fresh cabbage leaves. The sheets must first be kneaded so that they release the juice. A clean cloth is applied on top of the cabbage leaves.
  • At the time of treatment, it is recommended to increase the amount of fluid you drink to 2-2.5 liters. It is best to use mineral water, weak tea with milk and berry fruit drinks.

  • With a significant increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees, it is necessary to take 1-2 tablets of paracetamol before going to bed and drink tea with raspberry jam. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are the safest antipyretic drugs to take during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • Moderate thermal exposure has a beneficial effect on the mammary glands during hypothermia. For this purpose, it is recommended to use a warm shower or baths for the mammary glands. After taking a shower, a woman should wrap herself warmly.
  • A water-alcohol compress will help relieve inflammation and expand the ducts of the mammary glands. To prepare it, you need to mix water and vodka in a ratio of 1: 1. In the resulting solution, it is necessary to moisten a cotton cloth and apply it to the painful chest. Polyethylene or cling film and woolen fabric are applied on top of the fabric. Such a compress should be kept for no more than 1 hour to prevent burns. Before using this compress, it is recommended to consult with your doctor to avoid aggravating the condition.
  • A good effect has a smooth rubbing and kneading of the mammary glands. You can perform massage techniques on your own or ask your spouse for help. Before the massage, it is recommended to take a warm shower and lubricate the mammary glands with a nourishing cream or pharmacy oil.

When hypothermia of the mammary glands during lactation, it is strictly forbidden to perform the following actions:

  • Put compresses with camphor or camphor alcohol;
  • Take various medications on your own;
  • Use alternative medicine methods for treatment without prior agreement with the attending physician;
  • Artificially interrupt lactation without the consent of the doctor.

After carrying out these activities, there should be an improvement in the general condition and a decrease in body temperature. If the condition remains the same, then another disease of the mammary glands may be its cause. Regardless of the outcome of treatment, a nursing woman needs to consult a medical specialist and undergo a number of necessary diagnostic measures.

If a nulliparous woman does not have sufficient pumping skills, then this procedure is not recommended without first consulting a doctor or a breastfeeding specialist.

“Chested chest” - this situation is especially alarming for young mothers, and today on the website for mothers, the site will talk with you about why this happens and what to do if it has already happened.

Speaking in a more scientific language, such a popular expression among the people means that the nursing woman had a cold spasm of the ducts, which caused lactostasis, that is, stagnation of milk.

In this case, it should be understood whether lactostasis is really associated with the action of cold, or is it all about something else. Now we will not delve into the reasons in detail, one article will not be enough to discuss them.

How did it happen? Everything is very simple. It is enough to go and walk in cold weather just to the store, and soreness in the mammary gland already begins if you don’t dress warmly enough.

Chilled chest: symptoms

  • Pressing pain in the chest, tingling may begin
  • Seals
  • Increase in body temperature
  • Milk will not be the usual color, but may acquire a yellowish, sometimes even greenish tint.

If a nursing mother does not completely chill her breasts, but only one mammary gland, then the color of milk from one and from the second breast will be different. But sometimes it happens that both breasts are cold, and then it’s worth using cotton swabs to compare and simply understand what shade the milk has.

What to do, es

You need to act as soon as possible, you should not panic or rush to the Internet, read all kinds of articles and be horrified by the consequences, or fish out folk recipes and immediately apply them. Understand that by doing this you can do a lot of harm to yourself and, of course, the newly minted member of your family.

The first is to dial the doctor's number, call him at home. While the specialist is coming to you, ensure optimal conditions.

Let the room be at a comfortable temperature. You should not be cool, also beware of drafts.

After you feed your baby, don't forget to pump. Be sure to start feeding from the breast that you have a cold.

It is desirable to make the intervals between pumping as short as possible. When applying the baby to the breast, be guided not by the schedule you have drawn up, but as pain increases in the chest.

When a breastfeeding mother has a cold, she is ready for anything, if only everything passes quickly, and she can continue to enjoy motherhood. But the site site wants to warn that sometimes you should wait for a specialist.

It just seems that it's faster to find some advice on the forums, use everything at once for fidelity, and then? And then you may need surgery.

How to treat a congested chest?

The doctor will answer this question best of all, taking into account individual manifestations and stage. And that's why.

For example, there is a recipe for a warm compress, but you should consult a doctor before using it.

In equal proportions, you need to take vodka and plain water, dip gauze into this composition and apply it to the sore chest - specifically on that part of it where the seal has arisen, there is pain. Cover the top with a bag, then wrap this place with a towel.

It is important not to overdo it here, to prevent the occurrence of a burn. Therefore, periodically remove the compress.

Why is it not always worth using such a recipe? The thing is that sometimes doctors categorically do not recommend doing such activities, explaining it this way. Due to alcohol, the production of oxytocins slows down, which worsens the outflow of milk. Stagnation is only getting worse, and you don't need it.

A warm shower is also offered as a warming event. Only after it, dress warmly, preferably in a warm bathrobe (even if it’s summer outside), after a shower, make sure that the windows are closed.

A draft on a steamed chest may not work in the best way. But keep in mind that it is not worth it to warm the chest strongly in between feedings. Because of this, the flow of milk will only be stronger, and may worsen.

What to do if a nursing mother has a chest cold, in addition to the above activities?

Warm compresses between feedings, as we have already said, are not allowed, but cold ones are. These are, for example, cabbage leaves, curd compresses, just towels soaked in cool water. You need to apply them for 20 minutes until they warm up.

But before feeding itself, you can warm the chest, but only on the condition that your temperature has not risen to 38 degrees.

And most importantly - perform self-massage, express your breasts, massage your breasts while in the shower and when applying the baby. The specialist will tell you in detail the technique for performing all these manipulations and demonstrate in practice. Sometimes it is difficult for nursing mothers, it hurts to touch large breasts on their own, so it is better to ask your husband or mother to follow the doctor's recommendations.

And don't worry, all problems are fixable, so instead of panic, it's better to take action as soon as your chest is cold.

A cold chest is often the cause of mastitis and congestion. Mastitis occurs due to inflammation of the mammary gland, a bacterial infection appears. Mastitis does not appear due to hypothermia, but hypothermia can provoke a decrease in immunity. If the outflow of milk is good, then you are not afraid of mastitis, they happen extremely rarely, and occur if the outflow of milk from any lobule is disturbed. Sometimes this disorder can be caused by stress when the release of oxytocin is blocked or the cells that secrete milk are reduced.

Signs that you have a chest cold

The main symptoms that indicate that you have a chest cold include fever, pain or tingling in the chest, which feels like the presence of milk, the presence of yellowish-green milk. At elevated temperatures, there is no cough or runny nose. To determine if the breast is cold by the color of the milk, you need to express one breast and the other, and compare the color of the milk. If both breasts are cold, then the color of the milk can be seen with a cotton swab.

Treatment for a constricted chest

  • apply every hour of the baby to the cold chest. First you need to start feeding from this breast, even if it does not come in turn, and then move on to a healthy breast. It is necessary to do this so that the baby, while he has a lot of strength, sucks on the breast from where the milk comes more difficult. For feeding, it is better to choose the position of hanging over the baby, since in this position the milk flows easier;
  • between feedings, you need to apply a crushed cabbage leaf, which will help relieve inflammation;
  • n you should not get involved in pumping, as it can worsen the situation, especially if it is done incorrectly;
  • plentiful drinking is recommended, if possible, prepare natural lingonberry juice;
  • if the body temperature is very high, then you can take 2 tablets of paracetamol and tea with raspberries at night. Taking paracetamol is undesirable, but acceptable during breastfeeding. It is believed that paracetamol is the safest drug of all existing drugs;
  • a compress made from vodka with water, taken in the same ratio, helps well. Mix the components of the compress and apply in the chest, to the place where you feel a seal, and pain is felt when palpated. Moisten a cotton pad with a compress and place it on your chest. Place a plastic bag and a washcloth or towel on top to keep warm. It is recommended to do such a compress at night, but if it is possible to lie warm, then you can do it during the day. Just be careful not to burn yourself. It is better to remove the compress after an hour;
  • for warming up, you can use a warm shower, after which you should immediately dress warmly;
  • it is desirable to knead the chest. You can ask your husband for help. This should be done carefully, massaging as thoroughly as possible.

After carrying out all these activities, the body temperature should decrease. If none of the above remedies helped, then most likely you have a common cold. Be careful not to infect the baby. If you are sure that you know how to properly express, then it is better to express before the doctor arrives. If there is an opportunity, then let your husband help you and suck milk. If you express your breasts incorrectly, then it can start to hurt even more. You are faced with the task of expressing milk in all possible ways until compaction, so that the resulting compaction comes out with milk. In such a situation, every minute is important, since milk at a raised temperature is considered burned out, which is not desirable for a child. It is not recommended to stop breastfeeding a child if the body temperature is below 38 degrees.

Some health disorders can occur only in certain people, for example, only in children, or only in women, or, conversely, in men. The likelihood of developing a particular disease largely depends on gender, age and individual characteristics. And the ailments that have arisen need to be diagnosed in time and properly treated. So during the breastfeeding period, many women experience breast problems. Let's clarify what to do if you have a chest cold on the street, in a draft or frost, and what to do if you have a cold in the ovaries in addition?

Chilled chest - what should a woman do?

In fact, doctors interpret the popular term “cold chest” as a cold spasm of the ducts, which in turn leads to lactostasis - stagnation of milk. At the same time, a nursing mother experiences a lot of unpleasant symptoms. She is concerned about rather pronounced pain in the chest, which is of a pressing or bursting nature. Sometimes this symptomatology is accompanied by the occurrence of tingling. Also, pathological processes lead to an increase in body temperature, and if they are especially pronounced, then the color of the milk noticeably changes - it can become greenish or yellowish, which indicates the addition of a purulent process. Sometimes the problem is localized only in one breast, and sometimes it spreads to both mammary glands.

In order to quickly cope with a cold and prevent the development of mastitis, a number of timely measures must be taken. Feed your baby more often with a cold breast. At the same time, give her crumbs first when he is hungry, because with lactostasis, milk is more difficult to secrete, and a not very hungry baby will simply refuse to get it. For feeding, it is desirable to hang over the child, so it will be easier for him to suck.
Between feedings, a well-mashed cabbage leaf should be applied to the affected gland. It will help you quickly deal with the problem. In addition, it will not be superfluous to stretch your chest in the shower and express a little to relieve. It is also worth drinking more warm drinks, an excellent option would be warm natural lingonberry juice, which will help eliminate inflammation.

In case of a strong increase in body temperature, it is necessary to consult a doctor (pediatrician, therapist or gynecologist). Also, to reduce temperature indicators, it is worth drinking a couple of paracetamol tablets before bedtime. This medicine can be used while breastfeeding in moderate dosage.

When treating a “cold chest”, a compress gives an excellent effect. To prepare it, you need to prepare equal parts of vodka and water, soak cotton wool with them and apply on the affected chest (on the problem area, with the exception of the nipples). Then apply compress paper and insulate well. Carry out this procedure for one to two hours. The compress can be done only in the absence of temperature.

If you have a high temperature or if pus is attached, be sure to consult a doctor.

Cold ovaries - what to do?

If you are very unlucky, and being in the cold also led to inflammation of the ovaries, then the situation is much more serious. After all, such a pathology is often accompanied by a pronounced increase in temperature (up to 39C), pain in the lower abdomen and urination disorders (pain and frequent urge). Diarrhea and a significant deterioration in general well-being are also possible.

If you suspect that you have a cold of the appendages, do not even try to deal with such a problem on your own. Be sure to contact your gynecologist.

Therapy for ovarian inflammation involves the use of painkillers, antibacterial drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs. In critical situations, surgery can be performed to save the patient's life. Doctors can also perform laparoscopic surgery to remove pus and to irrigate the affected organ with antibiotics.

After reducing the intensity of the inflammatory process, doctors carry out physiotherapy with ultrasound, electrophoresis, etc.

In order for the treatment of congested ovaries to be as effective as possible, the patient needs complete rest and the exclusion of all kinds of stressful situations. You should also eat dietary - in accordance with the dietary table number 5 (according to Pevzner). An extremely important role is played by the consumption of a sufficient amount of liquid - ordinary water, warm tea, fruit drinks, juices, etc.

Folk remedies if you have a cold appendages

Traditional medicine can be used only after consultation with your doctor. So you can boil a couple of liters of water and throw a handful of dry wormwood leaves into it. After an hour, remove the container from the stove and stand above it, removing the lower part of your clothes and wrapping yourself in a blanket, forming a kind of cone over the steam. Steam well and lie down in bed under the covers.

You can also carry out an effective physiotherapy procedure on your own: melt four hundred grams of paraffin in a water bath. Line a small container with oilcloth and pour paraffin into it. After it grabs a little, wrap it in oilcloth and attach it to the lower abdomen. You can fix such a bundle with an elastic bandage or just a scarf. Then wrap yourself up in a blanket and wait until the paraffin stops heating.

If you have a cold in your chest and still have a cold in your appendages, you definitely cannot do without doctor's help.

If a nursing mother has a cold of the mammary glands, a specialist should be contacted immediately. Postpartum mastitis is common and occurs in about 3-6% of women. The development of an infectious disease during lactation can provoke inflammation of the glandular ducts. As a result, lactostasis occurs, i.e. obstructed passage of milk through the ducts of the mammary gland, caused by their inflammation.
A woman, when breastfeeding (HB), first feels discomfort and tingling at the site of inflammation. However, many attribute the occurrence of such symptoms to "unaccustomed" to lactation. To verify or refute your suspicions, you should consult with a mammologist.

Inflammatory processes in the interstitium and parenchyma of the gland develop very quickly and can lead to tissue abscess, and even to sepsis.

Etiology and pathogenesis

A woman who has a cold during lactation is actually facing an infection of the mammary glands with Staphylococcus aureus. Pathogenic bacteria have a high virulence and therefore are not sensitive to many antibacterial therapy drugs. Pathogens penetrate mainly by the lymphogenous route, through microcracks on the nipples.

Least of all, a bacterial infection develops in the body for the second time, i.e. in case of generalization of postpartum infections, which were localized in the reproductive system. If a nursing mother has a cold of the mammary glands in the process of feeding, stagnation of milk in the ducts - lactostasis can accelerate the inflammatory processes. According to studies, flow occlusion occurs in more than 80% of nulliparous women.

In many ways, the risk of developing a bacterial infection also depends on the reactivity of the body. The weakening of the immune defense most often provokes the development of lactational mastitis.

It is for this reason that experts in the postpartum period recommend resorting to vitamin therapy, which helps to increase the body's resistance to pathogens.

Causes of lactostasis and mastitis

I have a cold of the mammary gland during feeding, what is the reason for this? As it has already been found out, the causative agents of the bacterial infection are staphylococci. The following factors can provoke their development:

  • non-compliance with personal hygiene;
  • extragenital pathologies;
  • difficult childbirth;
  • cracks in the nipples;
  • underdevelopment of the milk ducts;
  • irregular attachment of the child to the breast;
  • wound infections;
  • reduced immunoreactivity of the body;
  • improper grip of the nipple by the child during feeding;
  • psycho-emotional overwork;
  • abnormal development of the breast (nipples);
  • improper expression of milk;
  • complicated period of postpartum rehabilitation.

Having caught a cold in the chest with HB, you should immediately consult a doctor. The development of inflammation in the ducts is fraught with damage to neighboring tissues, which is due to the peculiarities of the structure of the female breast. The abundance of adipose tissue and the lobulation of organs practically do not prevent the spread of infection, which is fraught with serious complications.

Symptoms of the development of mastitis and lactostasis

If the mother caught a cold while breastfeeding, the manifestation of the first signs of the disease will not take long.

Within a few hours after infection, a woman feels a strong heaviness in the chest area, after which a tingling sensation occurs.

Discomfort can last for several days without replenishing the symptomatic picture with additional signs. But in 90% of cases, already on the second day after the penetration of staphylococci into the body, the following symptoms of a cold mammary gland occur:

  • increasing pain in the mammary glands;
  • elevated temperature (no more than 39 degrees);
  • breast augmentation in volume;
  • subtle hyperemia of the skin;
  • perceptible tissue infiltration on palpation.

In the absence of treatment, the disease moves to a new stage of development - infiltrative. After 3-4 days, a purulent process begins in the inflamed tissues, the development of which is evidenced by the following symptoms:

  • hyperthermia;
  • lack of appetite;
  • muscle weakness;
  • sleep disturbance;
  • pallor;
  • increased sweating.

A woman who catches a cold during breastfeeding feels an increase in infiltration in volume during palpation. With the further development of infection, tissue softening and fluctuation occur.

Classification of lactational mastitis

Depending on the location, the nature of the inflammation and its prevalence, several classifications of the disease are distinguished. But according to medical research, more than 95% of diseases occur precisely in lactational mastitis. This is due to a weakened immune system during the period of feeding a child and the presence of microtraumas on the nipples of the breast.

Mastitis classification:

  1. by pathogenesis:
    lactation - occurs due to a decrease in the reactivity of the body and the formation of microcracks on the chest;
    non-lactational - inflammation is observed in a non-nursing mother who has a cold of the mammary gland during hypothermia, mechanical damage to the nipple, etc.
  2. according to the type of inflammatory process:
    purulent (infiltrative-abscessing, gangrenous, phlegmonous);
    non-purulent (infiltrative, serous).
  3. according to the prevalence of abscess:
    limited (no more than 0.5-1 quadrant of the mammary gland);
    diffuse (more than 2-3 quadrants of the breast);
    total (over the entire mammary gland).

If a nursing mother has a chest cold, treatment should begin immediately. The short incubation period for the development of Staphylococcus aureus creates all the prerequisites for the rapid transition of serous mastitis to abscessing. The disease is characterized by the formation of a pyogenic capsule within the glandular tissues.

With the development of gangrenous and phlegmonous diseases, there is no clear boundary between the affected tissues and healthy tissues. For this reason, women who have a chest cold during feeding often experience extensive tissue necrosis.

Clinical picture

Typical lactational mastitis is characterized by an acute onset of the disease, the development of which is signaled by chest pain and hyperthermia. In case of inadequate treatment, the disease passes into the infiltrative stage. This is evidenced by the appearance of an infiltrate, and very painful, during palpation.

In the absence of a reaction to the problem, mastitis passes into a purulent stage of development. In this case, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees.

In addition, there are pronounced symptoms of intoxication of the body: lethargy, body aches, drowsiness, lack of appetite, etc. Over time, tissue softening occurs in the area of ​​infiltrative-purulent formations.

If a nursing mother has a cold in her chest, it is advisable to be examined by a mammologist. Improper therapy very often leads to aggravation of the state of health and the transition of serous mastitis to gangrenous disease. In this case, there is a strong melting of the glandular tissues and deformation of the chest.

Diagnostics

What to do if you have a chest cold while feeding? First of all, you should be examined by a doctor for a more accurate diagnosis and determination of the form of mastitis. Underestimation of symptoms can lead to prolonged and ineffective conservative treatment of the disease. With ineffective antibiotic therapy, there is a threat of developing an erased form of the disease.

To more accurately determine the foci of inflammation and the nature of the manifestation of postpartum mastitis, the doctor conducts an examination using the following methods:

  • mammography - allows you to determine the number of infiltration nodes in the glandular tissue;
  • Ultrasound of the mammary glands - helps to establish the location of the foci of inflammation;
  • biopsy - contributes to the accurate determination of the causative agent of infection by taking a small amount of inflamed tissue for histological analysis.

Principles of treatment of uncomplicated disease

With the onset of postpartum mastitis, special attention is paid to measures that help eliminate lactostasis in the inflamed gland:

Folk remedies

What to do if a nursing mother has a chest cold? Experts recommend resorting to antibiotic therapy only in extreme cases. The active components of the drug remain in the blood for a long time and therefore can enter the child's body with mother's milk. Subsequently, this provokes the development of dysbacteriosis and weakening of the immune defense of the child.

To relieve the symptoms of lactostasis, you can use the following alternative medicine:

  1. cabbage compress. Raw cabbage leaves help eliminate hyperthermia and the inflammatory process. They are applied to the breast and changed immediately after the baby's breastfeeding;
  2. beetroot ointment. To prepare an anti-inflammatory ointment, mix 1 tbsp. l. honey with 5 tbsp. l. grated beets. The resulting slurry is spread on gauze, after which it is applied to the chest for 35-40 minutes.

Antibacterial therapy

If a woman has a cold of the mammary gland during breastfeeding, treatment should be started immediately and only under the supervision of a specialist.

A direct indication for the use of antibiotic therapy is the presence of suppuration in the glandular tissues.

To destroy Staphylococcus aureus with the development of postpartum mastitis, the doctor may prescribe the following types of antibiotics:

If you experience chest pain, hyperthermia and lactostasis, you need to contact a mammologist. Self-treatment can be fraught with complications, up to necrosis of glandular tissues. To eliminate mild forms of lactational mastitis, a complex of general health measures is followed, and in advanced cases, they resort to antibiotic therapy and even surgery.